Alloy



Patented Apr. 28, 1925.

v UNITED- STATES,

7. 1,535,910 PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES '1. EVANS, OI TITUSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T CYCLOPS- STEEL COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

a comom'rro'n or new YORK.

ALLOY.

No Drawing. Application filed October 3,1919 scrial lio. 328,336. Renewed August 8, 1824.

To all 107mm it may concern;

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. Evans, a citizen of the United States, residin at Titusville, county of Crawford, and S tate of Pennsylvania, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements inAlloys. fully described and represented in the following specification. v

This invention relates to a new alloy having the Characteristics of steel, which is non-corrosive, and which possesses the highly desirable qualities of hardness and I sometimes not until after olishing.

It follows, therefore, t at articles made from it may not be entirely non-corrosive:

In making table cutlery, for instance, the blades which are tempered .and pollshed may be non-corrosive, whereas the tang or shank and the collar which separates the tan from the blade, not being subjected to t is treatment, do not exhibit the same non-corrosive characteristic as the blade.

Further, the high chromium content of the allo renders it brittle, so that the cost of Wor ing the material is high and is attended by considerable loss, thus rendering the steel unduly expensive.

It is the object of this invention to produce an alloy having the characteristics of steel, which is non-corrosive, that is, an alloy which is not attacked by vegetable acids nor corroded by the action of the atmosphere, and in which the alloy itself has this quality, that is, neither subsequent heat treatment nor polishing are necessary to develop the non-corrosive characteristic.

In common with all other steels, the basis of this novel steel is iron. By the term iron, it will be understood that an iron which has a low carbon content and which has been through the usual refining procstainless.

esses is meant. Pig iron, for instance, which contains a large percenta e of impurities, such, for instance, as so phur and phosphorous, is not suitable for the purpose. In other words, the iron must have gone through the usual refining processes ftor the purpose ofeliminating the impur- 1 ies.

Unless the iron employed contains a considerable percentage of silicon, silicon is added to it, and there is also added at least one other refractory metal of the carbon group. A refractory metal of the carbon group which gives excellent results is zirconium. The percentage of silicon and zirconium, if this member of the carbon group be added, may vary within wide limits,'it being understood that when the percentage of silicon is high, less zirconium need be added than when the percentage of silicon is low, and vice versa. Fairly good results have been obtained from an alloy of iron, zirconium and silicon where the combined percentage of silicon and zirconium in the alloy is 2.6%, the zirconium in this mixture being as low as .1%. Better results will be obtained, however, if the silicon content be lowered somewhat and the zirconium content increased. Excellent results have been obtained from an alloy in which the percentage of zirconium was about 1%, the percentage of silicon in this instance being also about 1%.

If a harder steel be desired than that produced by the combination of iron, silicon and zirconium, a hardening material may be added. Chromium, for instance, may be added to the alloy. The addition of chromium hardens and toughens the alloy, but this metal also increases itsrefractory character, and, therefore, makes the alloy brittle, and, consequently, renders it more difiicult to Work economically. \Vhere, a hardening qualities. When any or all of these metals are added, the percentage or percentages may be considerably varied. Excellent results have been obtained by the addition of about 7% chromium, about 19% nickel, and

about 2.5% manganese, though it is to be understood that these percentages are illusnecessary when chromium, nickel and manganese are used in the alloy. A small addition of copper to the alloy, say, about .3%, will also add to the non-corrosive quality of the alloy.

The alloy or steel above described is noncorrosive in the ingot, and any article made therefrom is non-corrosive throughout.

Further, the material is highly ductile and malleable, so that it can be readily worked with comparatively small losses, and it is, therefore, well adapted to a-w'ide range of uses;

What is claimed is: I

1. An alloy having the characteristics of steel and comprising iron, and silicon and zirconium, the combined percentage of silicon and zirconium being not less than 2% nor more than about 2.6%.

2. An alloy having the characteristics of steel and comprising iron, silicon and zirconium and chromium, the combined percentage of silicon and zirconium being about 2%..

3. An alloy having the characteristics of steel and comprising iron, silicon, zirconium and chromium, the combined percentage of silicon and zirconium being about 2% and the chromium percentage being from about 3% to about 7%.

4. An alloy having the characteristics of steel and comprising iron, silicon, zirconium, chromium and manganese, the combined percentage of silicon and zirconium being about 2%, and the chromium from about 3% to about 7%;

5. An alloy having the characteristics of steel and comprising iron, silicon, zirconium, chromium, nickel and manganese, the combined percentage of silicon and zirconium being about 2%, the chromium from about 3% to about 7%,and the nickel from about 5% to about 20%. v

6. An alloy having'the characteristics of steel and comprising iron, silicon, zirconium, chromium, nickel and manganese, the percentages being such that the resultant alloy is resistant to corrosive influences and is hard and tough, and a small percentage of copper, whereby the non-corrosive quality of the alloy is increased.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES T. EVANS. 

